The Stranger
by Lioness316
Summary: Kel is all grown up, and back from her first adventure. Back to Tortall, and back to all the familiarity of her training years. But when war starts raging, and a stranger appears, it's evident these arn't her training years.
1. Default Chapter

"Hellfires" Keladry, Knight of Tortall, of Mindalen muttered. Peachblossom, her ever faithful Horse whinnied in agreement. "How am I ever going to be presentable at court?" she thought, as the rain poured down her cheekbones, just like the mud. Her hair, past shoulder legnth, but tied back into a tail was soaking, and the plain tunic she wore stuck to her skin.   
  
"Court" she thought, her hopes rising a bit, "No, not Court, HOME. Back to the warmth of her friends, good old Merric, Owen, and yes even Joren, and Cleon. Cleon, that brought up a whole 'nother subject" and she sighed just thinking about it. Last she had seen of him was 6 months ago, right before she had left to go riding off, just like her hero the Lioness. Defending the Small villages of Tortall, and spreading justice. But she still remembered the night before she departed, like it was a mere 6 minutes, or 6 seconds ago, not months. She and Cleon had come back to his room, laughing, and happy from a small going away get together for her. He wasn't technically her "lover", but other men knew that they were "together" in some way. She did like to go strolling with him, and they exchanged gifts at midwinter, but that night had changed it. She didn't know if it was the wine, or just the fact that she would be leaving the comfort of this home in a couple of hours, but Cleon had bedded her, and she had liked it. But in the morning she felt confused, so confused, and it didn't help when Cleon, still laying down on the bed, wrapped his arm around her sitting waist, pulled her back down, and whispered, "I love you Keladry of Mindalen, I love you, come back safe my darling".  
  
She remembered the shock as the words tumbled out of his mouth, into her ear. She remembered getting up, and the blur of confusion, good-byes, and then the clear vision of the open road. But that blur, along with the warmth and comfort, was coming back to her now, as she saw the top of the acropolis, all of the stones of the street and buildings glistening in the rain.  
  
  
"KEL!! KEL!!" the voice was accompanied by pounding, but she knew that voice all too well, it was Owen, so she quickly jumped out of bed.  
  
"Owen!" she screamed as she wrapped him in a tight hug.   
  
"I can't believe you're here, tell me EVERYTHING that happened! When did you get in? We were expecting you days ago!"  
  
"I came in last night, and Lalasa and I just settled back into the room, I didn't see the need to go announcing my arrival to the world! And there was a horrible storm for the past week or so, it slowed us down. Tell me what happened at court!"  
  
They sat on the bed talking long enough for the lunch bell to ring, and then proceeded to the mess hall, still talking. In the halls she saw many of her friends, she hadn't known she had missed them all THIS much, for each time she saw any one of them, she felt like she had a million questions to ask, a million of stories to tell, and the incredible urge just to hug that person.  
  
  
After telling what seemed like a million stories, Kel excused herself from the table, with the intention to go back to her room, and help Lalasa unpack. Once in the hall, she felt her wrist being grabbed, and her body flung against the wall. She tried countering with the Yamani moves, and some Shang, but the force held her there, and before she knew it, she felt lips on her lips, and hands in her hair. Before she could respond, the figure pulled away, to reveal the red-haired Cleon, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Welcome home Knight Kel" he said, putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her to his room. Once there, he said, "Why didn't you come to me last night?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, you were here last night, why didn't you come to me"  
  
"You don't own me Cleon"  
  
"I'm sorry Kel, I guess i just missed you." His voice had become softer, with concern, and mixed in there was real love.  
  
"It's all right, we just came in real late, I didn't want to disturb you." she said, meaning it, but still with some detachment. She loved Cleon, she was certain of that now, but something felt wrong, and she couldn't pin-point it. "And i thought you might have gotten another lover..."she quickly added, her voice trailing off at the end.   
  
"I would never do that Kel"he whispered, and what they did after that very much proved his point.   
  
  
  
Walking back from Cleon's room was not easy, she wanted to stay, she wanted to talk, but she had other things to do. The sun was beginning to set, and the shadows on the wall were angled at weird places, parts totally dark, and others still bright. Suddenly a tall man stepped out of the shadows and looked at her. He had golden blonde, and eyes, oh his eyes, something was so familiar about those eyes, but Kel couldn't tell what. He looked at her, like he had known her forever, and she looked back, trying to figure out what he wanted, and why, why she was instantly attracted to him.  
  
  
  
Peachblossom's hoofbeats pounded the mud, splattering her legs, as well as Kel's uniform. After just a month being back, she was already into her old routine of excercising and working out. Throughout the past month her relationship with Cleon had grown, and she was more sure than anything now that she was in love. But something still bothered her, and it was the light haired man. She didn't see him frequently, but everytime she did, her heart jumped. And everytime, she chided herself for it happening. She loved Cleon, loved him. So she didn't know why this total stranger was making her feel like some type of love-sick puppy.  
  
  
"Kel! Wake up now! There's an attack on the Western Border, It's from the Copper Isles, and what seems like some Carthakians. I have to go, King's Orders, you're to stay on guard here. Kel, if anything happens you know I love you, i'll come back, and you be careful here." Cleon said, as the sound of a million hoof-beats taking off sounded in the background.br  
"What?"  
  
"No time for explaining loverling, I've got to go. We don't know how bad it is, or if we're being attacked on any more sides. King told me himself, and he also told me you're to stay here, and help the defenses."  
She nodded, still in a daze, only concious enough for a quick kiss to Cleon, and then he was off. An attack? Cleon gone for the god's know how long..... This was not starting out to be a good week.  
  
  
It had been a week and a half since Cleon and the rest of her friends had left, and she felt lonely. The attack wasn't so bad that it needed her there. In fact it needed just a small army, and unfortunately, all her friends were in that one army.  
  
"Lalasa I'll be back, if any messages come back from the fields just put them on my desk."  
  
Lalasa nodded, and Kel took off into the halls, and then into the gardens. The aroma of each of the plants reminded her of each one of her friends, and the flower she had pinned on them on the day they had become a knight. A Chysanthemum for Merric, A tulip for Owen, a fire plant for Cleon, and a rose for Neal. She remembered those days, just a couple of years ago, and then now. They had come so far. Merric was a teacher, Owen and Cleon were duty Knights like her, and Neal, Neal had left the day after his knighting, and hadn't come back since. No-one had heard from him, but somehow they all knew he was OK, Neal was just that kind of person. Picking a Fire Plant off from a bush, she strolled even further into the garden, only to hear footsteps behind her. Slowly, ready to attack whoever it was, she turned around, and jumped. Well, not her, but her heart. It was the stranger.  
  
  
"Hullo" he said, his melodic voice drifting, and hanging there, "Nice day isn't it"  
  
"Certainly is" she replied   
  
He approached her, at first cocking his head to one side, and then a smile formed on his lips. "You really don't know do you?"  
  
"Know what?" she stammered. He moved closer and then with a passion she never felt before, he kissed her, and she kissed back. Like everything else about him it seemed familiar, all too familiar. He smiled as he pulled away from her, and she looked up at his face, then at the rose he was giving her, and then back up at his face. When she did she saw something that almost made her faint. His hair, the roots were a jet black, deeply contrasting the honey color. The widow's peak suddenly showed, as did the scene where he former sponsor had taken her in as his sponsoree.  
  
"Neal?" she whispered, and the Fire Plant she held crashed to the ground.  
  
He didn't have time to answer, suddenly a flash of light burst in the air, and people's screams filled their ears.  
  
To Be Continued... 


	2. The Stranger, Chapter 2

"Follow me!" The stranger's voice cried, barely audible above the noise of the blasting in the background.   
  
"No! I have to go back for Lalasa!"  
  
He quickly pulled her in, near his body, as a fire bolt landed where she had just stood. "You always were a stubborn one, weren't you? Kel, Lalasa has been in this palace almost as long as you have, she'll find her way out, she is NOT as stupid girl."  
  
She had to admit he was right, Lalasa was a very good fighter, and probably knew more secret passages than Kel probably knew. So she followed Neal, or was it still the stranger? He hadn't answered her question, or rather to his name, but she followed him, fire and sound trailing them, she followed him into safety.  
  
--------------------------  
  
Dearest Kel,  
This isn't just a little skirmish anymore, this is full out, full blown war. You wrote me saying that you are in fact, on post at Corus, but I still worry. Stay safe my little one, and be sure that I will return, because like all people know, a lover will always return to his first love.  
Sincerely,  
Cleon  
  
Kel folded up and letter, and tucked it back in under her chainmail. The people from the Copper Isles had attacked, with the Carthakians on their side. The West Wing of the palace had crashed to the ground under their attack, but luckily, that was all that had happened at the capital. The worst damage was at the border, where Cleon was. She worried about him, but the letters helped, and she was busy enough as it was, planning for an attack. At least the stranger hadn't come back. After that first (and so far only) blow at the castle, he had left her under a ledge, safe from explosions, but then he had left her, without warning. She still wasn't sure if it was in fact, Neal, though it definetely seemed like it.   
  
Suddenly, sounding just like the blast that had happened a week a go, an explosion rocked the land behind Kel. She turned around, seeing the people running towards her, and the battle that was starting. It was now the Eastern Wing, and she had to go fight. Drawing out her sword, she charged towards the armed men of the Copper Isles, and fought, until the sun had set, and the candle lights grew dim. At last, the men seemed gone, and she and her fellow attackers left the battlefield, for their cots, and warm ale.   
  
-------------------------  
  
The fighting seemed to never cease, everyday, Kel and her men were out there fighting, and the reports she heard from the border were that now the fighting was centered in Corus, and the men from the border were coming in. The worse news was, that at the head of all of this, was the Dark Mage Ganthe, of the Copper Isles. He could simply feed his men with the power of the dead, and of course, he could feed himself that power. After hearing that, the fighting seemed futile, but she knew she had to go on. And she did.  
  
Bolts hit her back with a pain she never felt before. She was fighting off two men, while walking backwards up the steps of the Eastern tower. While one had her sword locked above her head, she swiftly kicked him, Yamani style, so he fell down the stairs. The other man was too clever for that, so they were at it in a sword to sword battle, at the top of the tower. She spun around, trying to get away from the hold the sword had on her, but he pinioned her against the wall, sword to her throat.   
  
"Help!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Somebody help me!"  
  
She thought her screaming wouldn't bring anyone, but she soon heard the footsteps of someone coming up the stairs. A muss of redhair peaked out from behind the wall, and the soldier with the knife to her neck released his hold on her to attack him. It was Cleon, here to save her.   
  
"Kel, I'm coming, hold on!!!!"   
  
She sidestepped away from the soldier, but instead of feeling her feet on the ground, she felt herself step on air, and her body falling. She only responded fast enough for her finger tips to hang on to the stone above her.   
"Cleon! Help me!!" she cried.  
  
"I'm here" she heard, but it wasn't only Cleon's voice, it was another voice too. She looked up to see two faces and two arms outstreched towards her. It was Cleon, and it was the Stranger. She had to pick one, she had to pick between solid love, and her gut feeling. She knew the decision should be easy, but it wasn't, and she didn't know why. She raised up her arm, so it was right in between the two, not really ready to make a decision, and suddenly she didn't have to. A force held her two legs, and pulled her down, down into blackness, down into fire, down into despair...  
  
to be continued...  
  
  



	3. The Stranger, Chapter 3

Pain seared through her body, like a thousand daggers pinning her to a wall. In the background she heard the murmurs of the person who had caught her, and another. She couldn't make out what they were saying, and didn't have a lot of time to dwell on that, for another rush of fiery, hot, and evil power touched her. "Let me go you bastard!" She screamed, using up most of her energy, a decision she regretted later.  
  
"Oh, so she's awake." The person, who could only be Ganthe drawled. "Well i guess we should AT LEAST tell her why she's here...she'll be dead soon anyways." He was sitting, on a wooden bench, padded with a type of golden weave, which hurt her eyes to look at. "You, my darling, are here, because my fore-sight told me that you would be the end of my power, end of this war, and that leads to the end of me, which means that I must get rid of you. Fortunately enough, Rubrik over here" he motioned to the other man in the room, "was smart enough to decode my foresight, and so here I am, and I guess all that is left to do is kill you. But oh what way..."   
  
Kel's skin froze after every word he said. Fore-sight? She remembered reading about it in one of her text books. It was when a mage, or someone with the Gift could see the future, or part of their destiny. She looked over at Gante, and his short black hair, and piercing yellow/green eyes. He was pure evil, she could sense it. He wasn't even that great looking. Rubrik wasn't much better, although he was taller, and more muscular, his pointed features made him look almost worse than Ganthe.  
  
"No" she growled.  
  
"Is that you rebelling?" he said with a laugh, "I'm afraid that is simply not going to work this time Keladry. You are not match for me, you don't even have the gift for Mithros's sake!"   
  
Her brows furrowed, and she sat up a bit, trying to break free of the ropes they had tied her down with. Rubrik was in the corner, and Ganth was still on that silly bench eating, and planning out something on a map. No one was watching her, so very slowly, she eased a finger out of the rope, and pulled out about an inch of her blade, so that it touched the rope. She then started moving up and down, so that the blade cut one of the strings. It worked...for the first one. After that, Ganthe turned from his chair quickly, and sent a bolt of fire towards her, intending to smother her in flames, and it did burn parts of her hair, and tunic, but it had made the rope ashes. She stood up quickly, and attacked the mage with all her force, which wasn't a lot at all. Just at that moment, a figure came into the scene, one that she had scene as a child, and then now. He attacked Rubrik, sending him unconcious to the ground. Then he pulled Ganthe off her, but Ganthe quickly sent bolts of pain and fire through him, knocking him back at the wall. "No! she screamed, and ran towards the stranger." But the all too familiar feeling of Ganthe's fire touched her back, and she fell to the ground. But then suddenly all the pain went dull, and she saw the light slowly draining out of the stranger's eyes.  
  
"No! stop healing me! Neal?" He just nodded, and gave a small nod, but the healing didn't stop. "Save yourself Kel..." his voice said, raspy and fading. "NEAL! STOP IT! I"M FINE!" Ganthe took that moment to hit her again, and this time the force was so strong, it pushed her right in next to him. His eyes were still open, but the sparkle that she had seen as a child, the sparkle she knew, and the sparkle she loved was dim, and she knew he was dying. Instead of sitting there, in their last moment, she knew she had to do something, so that possibly they could be saved. With all her stregnth she stood, picking up long pole of wood she had spotted on the floor, and charged with it, point facing Ganthe. He didn't expect a blow to the stomach, in fact he hadn't expected a blow at all, he thought she had been too weak. The wind was knocked out of him, and Kel took that opportunity to draw her sword, knock his head with the hilt, and then drive it into his chest. She hated killing, but it was the only thing left. She saw Ganthe's chest heave once, with an awful weezing noise, and suddenly everything was quiet.   
  
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A whole month, she couldn't believe it. It had been a whole month since that confrontation with Ganthe. It turned out all his soldiers were powered by him, by his magic, and his power, so once he was dead, they had all fallen in the field. After Ganthe had uttered his last breath, she had brought Neal to the healers, and then went back to help the rest of the knights.  
  
Cleon had been sympathetic, but she could see the strain in his face. He had found out about her and Neal, found out about that one kiss, she had told him. He didn't like it, and he hadn't taken it well. Oh he said he still loved her, yes, but she knew that he felt some sort of betrayal. But she sighed, because she knew she would have too. It was too complicated for her. Neal was still, a month later, with the healers, almost fully recovered, and she hadn't visited him yet. She didn't think she was ready. He had told her, or whispered to her while she was taking him to the healers, that no matter what, even if she picked Cleon, he would still love her, and nothing could change that. But then quickly added "Unless of course the stump ordered me not to!" he had said, with the same sarcastic, and yet very humorous tone she had grown to love. Cleon on the other hand had told her she needed to choose, because his heart couldn't take it. All of this confused her even more than she was and she thought about it each night, the two men's faces haunting her in her sleep.  
  
She sat at her desk, cleaning the chain mail from that battle with Ganthe. Scrubbing it, she noticed a charred piece of paper sticking out. She pulled it out, and realized what it was, even if it wasn't that object any more, well not really. It was part of Cleon's letter, with the top and bottom burnt off, and just one sentence left. It read,   
  
"a lover will always return to his first love"   
  
and all that she needed to know flowed into her head, and she thought how ironic it all was. She remembered her years as a page, claiming she was "in love" and maybe in a way she was, but she knew that boy, now man, had been her first crush, her first friend, her first love. The one she should be with, and she now knew who she had to pick, she knew her path, she knew her fate, she knew it was the right choice. So she slowly stood up, and headed towards where she knew he was waiting for her.  
  
  
The End. 


End file.
